Yankee

Xiaolin Showdown: Fight for the Shen Gong Wu!

Sounds fair enough!

What Are You Listening To?

World of Light

Word Count: 2275 (+3 exp)
Level: 2 - Total EXP: 56/20
Location: The Land of Adventure - Twilight Town

When the crowd of people quieted down and the introductions began, Pit paid very close attention to each and every one. In the past, he would rely on the Goddess he served to give him information about the foes he faced, or the allies he fought with. She held vast knowledge not only their own universe, but those beyond. She even mentioned once she had access to an "arch-villain database," so her information was not limited to high profile heroes. Now though, he was flying solo. Well not exactly flying, but the point stands! So in lieu of Palutena's guidance, he concentrated on what the Seekers chose to say about themselves. This way while they were in the field, he could better fight alongside them.

One of the first to speak was 'Big Band,' an total stranger and definitely a heavyweight. The man just exuded cool - after all there was almost no way to make a cyborg detective sound lame. He didn't go into the 'twist of fortune,' but Pit hoped it was something awesome and not, well, awful. He also hoped that the two of them would get along, even if Pit wasn't yet mature enough to develop a taste for free-form jazz.

Following him was a duo, and something about them struck Pit as familiar. His brows scrunched together in thought as Tora went on, and then the light-bulb went off over his head. Oh, he's like Shulk's friend! Uh, what was his name again? Ricky? Something like that! Pit was patting himself on the back that he managed to recall another Nopon, and because of that he already felt closer to Tora. Plus, his skills as an inventor were amazing if he was able to build a robot as advanced as Poppi. Speaking of which, Poppi said something that caught Pit's ear in a big way.

"You can transform?" the angel asked with sparkles in his eyes. He couldn't wait to see what her other modes looked like. He pictured her offensive mode as some kind of robo-ninja with blade extensions all over, and her evasive mode with wheels and jet thrusters. "That's so cool!"

Next up was Ms. Fortune, who he'd met earlier that morning at Smash City Alcamoth. He knew that her claims about splitting up and staying alive were nothing but truthful. He also saw her shoot a laser from her eye, so she was also on his "cool list" (which to be fair was not a great achievement, since most people Pit had met were on it). She also made plain her love of puns. "...Oh! I get it now. 'Peach-Pit.'" He said, seemingly out of the blue. That was a terrible joke! The angel grinned all the same though, as it was something he could picture Lady Palutena saying during one of her pieces of advice.

The next to go was a boy named Raz, who followed up his multitude of questions with a ton of information about himself and his organization. All of which Pit boiled down to one thing: he was psychic. Pit crossed his arms and nodded as if he perfectly understood everything Raz was saying. Psychics were strong, he knew from experience. Plus the way they floated around and used their PK moves made them hard to catch, which seemed to apply to Raz as well. The Psycho-Portal was new though. "I always wondered what it looked like inside my own head!"

Pit was not as starstruck as Junior when it came time for Wonder Red to introduce himself, but only because he has technically already met the hero before. It had been when the Virgin Victory first made contact. The meeting following their return to Alcamoth wasn't the most pleasant, but it didn't put any damper on Pit's feelings on the man. He was a bonafide superhero with a whole super team, so he was pretty cool in Pit's book. It was pretty amazing that their group had both robots and superheroes.

Something about the next to go up seemed familiar to Pit as well, as it had with Tora earlier. It wasn't just that Roxas shared his spiky blonde hair and dark outfit with another Smasher, there was something else he couldn't put his finger on. Maybe he'd been on the list of invitees for the latest tournament before Galeem ruined everything? Or maybe he just had one of those faces? Well whatever! he thought, dismissing the feeling, Looks like he's got his own reasons to join. Maybe once he gets de-Galeemified I can ask if he ever got one of those invitation letters.

Primrose's charm had not real effect on the angel, besides that his face turned slightly red at the display. She seems like one of those... uh, what are they called... femme fatals? Basically, a seductress. Without some serious magic Pit was confident nothing like that would work on him, but Primrose was an ally anyway. She claimed to be a mage, but she looked physically strong too. In contrast the man that went after her (who wasn't much taller than Pit himself) did not look too strong nor magically inclined. Instead, he was a rogue archetype. It was hard to tell if they were a duo or not, but with their skill sets they probably worked well together either way.

Moving on, the next was the Ace Cadet. It was a pretty neat title, but didn't it actually mean he was kind of low on the totem pole? Being a 'Cadet' and all. Pit grinned to himself and puffed up his chest proudly, since he technically outranked such a strong looking guy.

It took a little while into Midna's introduction for Pit to recognize her. She'd definitely been to a few tourneys, participating as an assist fighter. She looked pretty different now, the result of a lot of spirit fusions no doubt. It seemed like she had a bunch of abilities to show off besides that big hand she always flung people with. Once she was finished, Pit gave her a little wave of acknowledgement.

Following her up was the Koopa Troop, whom along with Princess Peach the angel knew well. Ever since that battle against the Subspace Army and Tabuu, he'd been fighting against and alongside them since. He recalled a time that he'd been pretty nervous around Bowser before he realized the king was more kind-hearted then he let on. And more goofy too. The members of the mushroom kingdom denizens he knew the least about were Kamek and... Rika? For one, Pit had thought Kamek was male. Maybe she originally was? For second, Rika didn't fit the troop's aesthetic at all. He had met her earlier too, and was surprised to know she was part of the Troop. She went on to mention she had been part of the Abyssal fleet, which made sense. Seeing former enemies freed and fighting together with them was really encouraging.

Sectonia, one of the weirder looking people among the group, made a lot of claims and showed off a lot of abilities. She was big, alien, and on top of being strong - Space AND time? Isn't that pretty over powered?! - she had the attitude of one of those kinds of royals. More like a Dedede than a Daisy, then. The implication she made that she considered the other Seekers as her minions went right over Pit's head, and since he didn't see any of her 'minions' around he thought she might be as full of hot air as Dedede was too.

After her were more robots, this one much more robotic looking than the others. Plus a healer to boot! He wondered if Blazermate and Poppi could combine, given they were both completely artificial. Or if Blazermate could transform into a new mode like her. The medabot mentioned that (pretty gross) shield, so this heavily armored version could be her defense mode!

In comparison, the next robot girl looked more on the girl-side, like an in-between of Blazermate and Poppi but missing a lot of limbs. She was cute, in a doll sort of way. Once she starting going on about business Pit was beginning to get lost, not able to follow her words, but when she summoned her mech suit his eyes sparkled once again with interest. A tailor-made mech that she could just summon whenever she wanted? That was awesome.

Next was Karin, and despite the disagreement back on the Tinkerslug Pit could tell that she was a good person. Somewhere deeeeeep down under her haughty words and self-importance. She was the type that Pit tended to bicker with, so he could only hope that she wouldn't hold it against him in the long run, as he wouldn't be holding it against her. As long as they were on the same side, he'd consider her an ally if not a friend. There was one thing, though.

"Did she say ninja army?" The statement was made so casually that Pit almost didn't catch it. Having a whole army of ninjas would not only be super helpful, but also super awesome.

Her friend Sakura did not boast the number of accomplishments that Karin did, but what she did mention was, honestly, impressive. Pit couldn't even read, so knowing two languages was cool. Plus forty pounds of hotdogs? That beat his own record of most hotdogs eaten in one sitting. Sakura had clapped for a few other people, and so Pit returned the favor and gave her a round of applause. She seemed nervous, so hopefully it helped.

And after that...

"..."

Geralt was a way better person than he seemed to think he was. It was still crazy that the man didn't seem to hold a grudge against Pit, true to his word. Pit still felt bad about what had happened between them, but if Geralt was putting it in the past then so would he. Remember and be better, Pit had told Omori. He took his own words to heart. The angel hoped that if they worked together more, he would not feel as awkward around the Witcher, even if it took a while for it to happen.

Once Geralt was finished there was another short lull before anyone else went up. Should I go next? Pit thought to himself. For some reason it felt weird to do it right after Geralt, but... well, it didn't have to be weird if he didn't make it weird. So without further ado, Pit decided that he would be next up to the plate.

Eagerly he hopped up onto the table before the crowd. He took a very deep calming breath to get out of the mindspace he'd put himself into. It took a second, but then he fixed a sunny smile onto his face and stood with his feet planted apart both of his fists resting on his hips and his wings spread out wide. He made himself look as tall as he could, which wasn't much considering that he appeared to be a fresh faced boy of about thirteen years of age. He sported a white tunic, leather leg and arm guards, and a golden laurel crown that sat on his fluffy brown hair. He was the very picture of a classical angel. His looks did not do his experience as a soldier justice, though Pit was happy to remind people of this.

"My turn! My name is Pit! I'm a proud servant of the Goddess of Light, Lady Palutena. I'm also the captain of her royal guard, and as you can see I'm an angel too!" For emphasis on that last bit, he flapped his wings dramatically.

"I've been around the block a few times too, definitely saved the world more than once. Well my world anyway, and helped save some others kinda. Worlds... plural?" He didn't think much about how the three realms in his universe were all called "-world." Regardless, he continued. "I've got lots of fighting experience, including with a bunch of different weapons, but I'm best at long range. My light arrows can pull off stuff like this!"

Pit didn't plan on doing any fancy display, but something came to mind that might be fun and informative. He summoned the Palutena Bow into his hand to show off the sleek gold and blue weapon, as he did the halos of light appeared around his wrist. He pulled back on some invisible, ethereal bowstring and shot the light arrow into the air where it proceeded to zig-zag and do a loop-the-loop before vanishing.

He wasn't about to show off his entire arsenal, especially since he didn't have access to much of it still. That would have to be good enough. There was something else that he left out of his introduction, a weakness that he hoped wouldn't come up too much during the course of the Seekers' adventure: his flightlessness. It wasn't that he was ashamed of it, because he definitely wasn't, but... it just was something personal that didn't need to be brought up! Besides, plenty of his fellow Smashers already knew. Maybe. He did have Lady Palutena's help during the early tournaments. Once they found her in this world too, then she could lend them all her power - including the Power of Flight, so it didn't matter if he couldn't fly right now anyway. Or so he told himself.

Satisfied, Pit turned his smile back on the group of Seekers. He dispelled the bow and pumped one fist into the air as he finished off his introduction. "Everyone I've already met, and everyone I'm meeting for the first time... it's good to be fighting with you! Galeem might have got the best of us the first time around, but we're gonna kick it's butt this time!"

World of Light

Word Count: 1214 (+2 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 151/90
Location: The Land of Adventure - Twilight Town

"Hey, long time no Ceadeus!" The Ace Cadet said to the members of the Yellow Team he had already gotten to know before they all split up, flashing them a wide smile. He was getting caught up in the chaotic greetings, eager to swap stories on how the battle across the desert had gone, but he reigned in it enough to listen to everyone's introductions.

Mechanical people were far from the weirdest thing the Cadet had seen so far in the World of Light. In fact, he thought it was pretty cool in general. This included Poppi of course, but it was especially so for Big Band, who deployed a bunch of different musical instruments all at once. It was like he was fused with a hunting horn or something, which by the way would definitely be one of the Cadet's top picks if he had to fuse with a weapon. Band seemed like a cool guy. When he made mention of the 'Skullgirl' though, the Cadet was reminded of that conversation at the inn in Limsa. Bowser and Nadia had explained what went on in the Dead Zone, including what ultimately ended up happening to Linkle. That dinner seemed so long ago now, but it tickled his memory enough. A glance over at Nadia confirmed that he was remembering it right, since it seemed like she was familiar with what he was talking about.

The hunter didn't spend much more time thinking about it, figuring that Nadia or one of the people that had actually been in the Dead Zone at that time would be better equipped at asking information from the guy. Besides, there were a lot more people to meet. Tora and Poppi went next, and it was nice to see the energetic pair again. They seemed just the same as he'd last saw them, which was a good thing. After that was Ms. Fortune herself, whom needed no introduction.

Wonder Red he had kind of-sort of heard of while back at the Alcamoth, along with the commander he mentioned and the group he was part of. The Cadet had wondered what was up with the mask, if it was just for aesthetic or what, but apparently it actually was for hiding his identity. That was kind of silly, given the circumstances. Wouldn't that hurt their chances of finding the 'displaced' members of their organization? The Cadet scratched his head, confused at the logic there.

Speaking of 'Organization,' Roxas mentioned one numbered thirteen that he'd been a part of. His black cloak certainly looked familiar, and by his own words he had been a member of that group that the Seekers constantly ran into. The one that they couldn't tell was friend or foe. From the fraud dice-headed guildmaster, to the suspicious woman who'd convinced them to try their luck on the Maw... ugh. Still, putting aside any feelings about the mysterious Organization, Roxas said he was joining up with the Seekers. Whatever his reasons were, the Cadet would take him at face value and welcome him to the group.

The next introduction was a complete change of pace. This stranger was a sultry woman who'd introduced herself as Primrose - and the brown hair swept into bangs in front of her pretty pale face, feather sticking out from her headpiece, and combined with the beauty mark by her lips reminded him so fiercely of a certain guildmarm that he'd been enamored with that it felt like someone had just punched him in the chest. He coughed into his hand, tried to play it off subtle and cool but didn't quite succeed. As if sensing the reaction, the dancer's eyes flicked over to him and she raised a brow in triumph. Not fair, the Cadet thought. He composed himself quickly after the initial surprise, and listened to the intro after the woman's. Not all that interesting, and between the two 'rogues' in the party he knew which one he preferred.

And with that the floor was open for whoever wanted to go next. Don't mind if I do, the Cadet thought, striding up to take the spot in front of the table.

"Okay, so! Hello everybody. I'm the Ace Cadet, and I am a professional monster hunter."

He certainly looked the part too. He wore a full suit of sleek plate armor, with sections where rough green scales were overlaid. At his waist a red skirt lined the faulds of his armor, and at that level from his back two metallic rigging extensions with mini guns and a sharpened red blade were worn. On one arm an unusually shaped firing mechanism was attached, and on his back was an angular backpack and a matched sword and shield with wicked looking spines on both. Under the armor, a white dress shirt poked out complete with tie, and above that a cheery face with messy red hair, save for the tuft of gold at the front.

"I won't bring up a bunch of specifics but basically I was... am? I am part-knight, part-explorer, part-weapons master, all badass." The Cadet grinned as he continued, amused at his own playfulness. "I'm pretty strong, tough, got good aim, usually carry a bunch of useful stuff with me. I guess you could say I'm an all-rounder type, but I specialize in hunting wyverns and other monsters like that. The bigger the better.

"Oh, but no magic here. I'm uh, pretty bad with magic actually. Like in general," he said, his tone growing just a bit sheepish. Might as well get it out there, it was important for teammates to know each others weaknesses. Maybe even more important than knowing their strengths. Plus if that junior psychic Raz could divulge something like that, then he could do it too. That kid was pretty cool, a government agent at his age, plus the ability to go into someone's mind? That was super weird, but also super neat. Oh, wait, he was supposed to be introducing himself.

"What else... well, I'm happy to get to know everyone. The kind of stuff you learn from people from other universes is Kut-kurazy. And if anyone's Quru-ous about me, just ask and I'll answer!"

That was pretty much it, right? Nothing else came to mind. The hunter made to vacate the spot for someone else, when a last minute thought crossed his mind and he turned on his heel to walk right back in front of the group.

"One more thing! Like I said I'm the Ace Cadet, it's kinda my title but everyone usually just calls me 'Ace', which works for me. So, feel free to call me that!"

Now that was everything. For now anyway, he wasn't about to explain the naming conventions of his home and how the people there put much greater stock in one's occupation than their family name. The Cadet signed off with a quick touch of his fingers to his temple in salute and made space. Man, this was a great idea. It was fun to talk about himself and see everyone else show off a little. After his own introduction there was a bit of hesitancy where no one immediately jumped in, so the Cadet spoke up one last time.

"So who wants to go next?"

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 7 - Total EXP: 135/70 ------ Level: 4 - Total EXP: 50/40
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 1949 (+3 exp)
Location: The Land of Adventure - Twilight Town

The rendezvous with the other Seekers was chaotic from the get-go, as the 'Blue Team' sailed in on a giant slug-like creature with a ship affixed to it's shell. It was a fitting arrival for such a motley crew. The Octopath Travelers stood off to one side, letting comrades that hadn't seen each other in days reunite and catch up. Only once the leader, another princess, called for order and a meet-and-greet did they focus their attention.

Primrose couldn't recall if she'd seen some of the those other Seekers at the Alcamoth or not before she'd decided to join up with the contingent taking on the Sandswept Sky. But whether allies she was meeting for the first time or those that she'd been getting know over the last few days, she listened attentively.

Besides the princess herself, the first to go up was Big Band. Primrose hadn't known him for very long, but she could tell he had a good heart somewhere in that metal body of his. She'd seen his battle prowess first hand, and knew he would make as formidable a foe as he made a reliable friend. Or at least, that was her impression.

The dynamic duo of Tora and Poppi she had set out with from Smash City. Of everyone that had introduced themselves so far, she'd known them the longest - although it still had only been a few days. Primrose found herself fond of their antics, and knew them to be versatile and straight forward. Their silliness did not overshadow their serious commitment to the Seekers or each other.

She was not as 'purr-pared' for Ms. Fortune, but if she could handle Alfyn and Tressa's corny jokes then she was sure she could handle a few puns. Primrose wasn't sure what she'd meant by splitting herself up until Raz spoke up with all of his questions, and then the thought that Ms. Fortune literally split her body into pieces came to mind. If that was true, were those white marks on her body scars from splitting apart? If so that was a truly gruesome power, but one that Primrose was interested in. Before she got too deep into imagining herself with the same ability, rising like a phantom in the dark hall of a once-familiar manse, Raz started his in-depth introduction. He was very enthusiastic. If she was being honest, Primrose would say that most of the people gathered here needed some kind of mental check-up, herself included. However, she was not about to volunteer for it.

Roxas' introduction was interesting, as even though he did not speak much about himself he brought up some surprising connections. Organization XIII... Primrose didn't know much about them, only what Tora and Poppi had mentioned before, and that one of their members had tried assisting the Seekers during their trek to hunt down the Guardian of the desert region. So this boy used to be part of it? And he knows the Master of Masters? But he's still... Primrose took in the muted colors and red eyes that Roxas had, the sign of those still Gleaming. Then... was he from the same world as that organization? She would hear more from him, and perhaps see if he was also acquainted with that boy Sora they'd found in Al Mamoon, but it could wait.

As for Wonder Red, he seemed like the type that followed every rule down to the letter. No-nonsense types like that weren't necessarily something that Primrose disliked, but she had only met the man yesterday so time would tell if that was actually the case or not. His speech style was loud and stilted, and much of what he said seemed specific to his own world, but at the very least Primrose understood his want for secrecy. She had yet to reveal her identity has an Azelhart not just because the name would mean nothing to her compatriots from other worlds, but because if word did somehow spread to the wrong ears then it would tip off the people she was after. She was part of the campaign to defeat Galeem, yes, but if she had an opportunity to kill any of the Obsidians here in the World of Light, especially if it gave her the chance to kill them a second time, she would gladly do so.

Since she was thinking about herself now anyway, Primrose decided she wanted to be next. It was now her turn to take the metaphorical stage.

The introductions were fun, and weird, and she decided to make a little spectacle out of hers. As one of the tallest women in the group she sashayed toward the unofficial "introduction area," swinging her hips and letting her large blonde-brown ponytail bounce as she walked. Primrose had gone through a lot of changes recently, but for many Seekers it was their first time seeing her. Her skin was pale, and she sported a bodacious body that lent itself well to athletics, including her trade of dancing. Her midriff was fully exposed and her legs were only covered in deep red fish nets, showing off a toned muscles in both places. She was dressed in black, white, brown and flowing maroon - as well as gold and silver jewelry, and on the crown of her head a pair of deep black feathers accented her look. She was a head turner, that was for sure. Once she was in front of everyone she did a quick turn that flowed into a few flashy dance steps.

"I suppose it's my turn now," she purred. The beauty mark by her mouth drew attention to her audacious smile. "My name is Primrose. Before all of this, I plied my trade as a dancer."

A paper fan appeared in her hand, and she waved it playfully a few times. In lieu of any 'fun facts' she stuck to the basics, what she had to offer the group. In other words, her skill set.

"Magic is my specialty, and with the divine grace of Sealticge I can spread the effects of such magic, or another's. My dances are particularly invigorating..." She let the sentence linger, winking at no one in particular.

Though she enjoyed the limelight and had grow more talkative over the last couple of days, she did not want to go on for any longer than she really needed to and decided to wrap it up then.

"...but I do know my way around a dagger." When she finished her introduction on those words, it was with a smile far sharper than any blade. A dark expression crossed her features for only a moment, suggesting some deeper meaning to what she said, but the dancer was finished talking. She curtsied to signal she was done, and made room for the next participant.

For Therion, the look he'd caught on Primrose's face reminded him that she had a bloody motive to her journey, though it was one that none of his fellow Travelers knew all the details of. He met her eyes in a silent show of support, but regretted it immediately when she all but pulled him up to take her spot in front of the crowd of heroes. For those that hadn't met Therion, he was shorter than his dancer friend by a few inches, with tan skin and a mop of white hair that covered the left side of his face, all covered by large and well worn purple scarf and poncho. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Therion's my name," he said. He almost wanted to leave it at that and move on, but he reminded himself that he did actually want to help free the world, and playing (mostly) nice was part of the deal.

"I'm..." he went to continue, but suddenly found himself unsure of what to even say. He had no real hobbies outside of perfecting his craft, but just saying 'hi, I steal shit' seemed a bit weird. He was saved by Primrose not a moment too soon.

"Our not-so-dashing rogue," Primrose supplied, a small teasing smile on her face as she glanced at Ms. Fortune.

"And Primrose forgot to mention that she was a comedian," Therion said, rolling his eyes at her comment. Still, the interruption helped him recover. He put on hand on his hip under his poncho, the manacle locked around his wrist clanking, while the other gestured lightly as he spoke. "Anyway. If you got a door that needs opening, lock that needs picking, or treasure that needs swiping, I'm your guy. Just... don't get in my way and I won't get in yours."

There, that was good enough. He slunk away back into the thick of the crowd. While the next person went up to introduce themselves, Therion thought on the others that had already gone. The Princess had caught his attention just by virtue of the word "princess," but she certainly didn't look the part and so he only continued paying attention to her because she was the de facto leader of the group he now found himself in. Big Band he was already acquainted with, and the detective (which he hadn't known was the man's profession until now) had been the one to snap the thief out of his brain washing. For that Therion was grateful, buuuut Band hadn't need to clock him that hard.

Tora and Poppi were odds ones, and he wasn't sure exactly what to think of them yet. Poppi had shown to be capable, and Tora was friendly, but strange, and young - maybe? It was hard to tell since he was a different species. Although they functioned as a pair, if forced to pick between the two Therion thought that Poppi would be the more tolerable of the two.

And then there was Raz, the kid who tried way too hard. He was endearing in an annoying sort of way. Therion imagined that being around was Raz was probably what having a younger brother was like, though he couldn't be sure - the thief was an only child, and had never known many kids around his age during childhood. Since Raz had revealed he had the ability to read people's thoughts that morning, Therion had pretty much closed himself off from the boy... but he didn't dislike him. Someone should probably teach the kid to swim. Besides that, Raz's curiosity was useful too.

Which brought him to Ms. Fortune, the 'other rogue.' With her flashy looks, giant ponytail and long fish tail, Therion had a hard time believing that she was the stealthy sort. Plus good at fighting and immortal? That was too much. Maybe she was more of an assassin type, though her personality didn't seem to match that hypothesis the scars on her body said otherwise. She was another strange one.

The other two, "Wonder Red" and Roxas, he had no thoughts on besides not knowing what the fuck they were talking about. That was one of the problems with throwing a bunch of people from multiple worlds together he supposed, they have stuff going on that sounds like complete gibberish to someone else. Honestly he didn't really care to learn either, unless it was something important that pertained to him. In the end it probably wouldn't matter anyway.

...come to think of it, this might take a while, he thought. Therion sighed and slouched slightly, tucking his hands into his pockets as he prepared for a circle of people speaking. If he tuned a lot of the fluff out and only focused on the interesting stuff then, well, none would be the wiser.

What Are You Listening To?

Xiaolin Showdown: Fight for the Shen Gong Wu!

@Goose and thanks for your answer! The PvP aspect seems intriguing, a more light-hearted setting like this would be good for it I think. If the RP concept manages to catch enough interest I'll probably throw my hat into the ring whether it leans PvP or not, so long as I have the time for it.

Xiaolin Showdown: Fight for the Shen Gong Wu!

This sounds like it could be fun. Question for ya, just to make sure I'm understanding correctly. Would players be forming teams to compete against each other, or against NPC teams?

World of Light

Ace Cadet & Ms. Fortune

Word Count: 2811 (+3 exp)
Level 9 Ace Cadet @Yankee: 146/90 -> 149/90
Level 9 Nadia Fortune @Lugubrious: 107/90 -> 110/90
Location: Sea of Serendipity

A few minutes after the living ship got underway, bound due south on its journey to Twilight Town, Nadia Fortune could be found at the very end of its stern. happy to be about as far away as she could get from the gigantic mollusk's snaggle-toothed maw without taking to the ocean waves below, she sat on the railing with her arms propped up to either side of her, staring back at Port O' Panic and the seaside mountains as they gradually receded into the distance. Though the rain had subsided to a drizzle by the time of the pirates' ambush, the sky remained dismally overcast, and it didn't look like things would clear up anytime soon. She took long, slow breaths of the cool, salty sea air, a million miles away from this rueful sea as she sought to clear her head.

Her apology to Peach did not achieve what she hoped. It wasn't that the princess hadn't accepted it--she had, and quickly, too. Too quickly. Almost out of politeness, just as a matter of course, rather than a heartfelt admission that all was well. Such superficial forgiveness did not exonerate Nadia from her feelings of guilt. Could she have taken more time to find better words? Maybe, but she wanted to smooth things over quickly to try and stop any ill will before it could fester, and besides, overthinking things would mean it didn't come from the heart, wouldn't it? In the end, however, nobody felt any better, so Nadia drifted off to think. Physical pain didn't trouble her a whole lot; years of literally pulling herself apart in order to fight, maneuver, and infiltrate left her nerves deadened and resistant to hurt. But the same couldn't be said for everyone. What Peach went through was, from the average person's perspective, horrific and appalling. Of course the blame belonged to that fishman, Rip Ass or whatever his name was, but it was Nadia -and by extension Blazermate- who left Peach alone to go off and do their own thing. Did she really think that Peach would be fine all on her own, or did she just want to go after a spirit that suited her?

Maybe it was both. Or maybe one made her believe the other. Nadia knew that in reality, she hadn't been thinking about anyone but herself, same as ever. Ever since the fateful night that she came to know both pain and loss, leaving her numb and alone. The clever, fun-loving Ms Fortune was a friend to all, but a confidante to none. Did she really have what it takes to be a teammate, or a friend, or a partner? Maybe, maybe not. She was probably just getting worked up over nothing, and uncharacteristically so, at that. Self-pity wasn't a word in the feral's repertoire, and she knew that everyone was just trying their best, in the end. The real question was, did she really care to try? Maybe just being an ally, an acquaintance, and a flirt was enough.

"There you are."

It was a familiar voice, one that the Ace Cadet hoped Nadia would find welcome at the moment. After everything had settled down for the most part and people had split up for the remainder of the trek, the Cadet had looked for her. He managed to miss her on the small deck until now.

He trusted Blazermate to heal everyone up to their top shape, but after seeing the condition that Peach was in, and her seemingly still damaged eye, the Cadet wanted to make sure that Nadia was okay. Things had escalated quickly once the other Seekers boarded the Tinkerslug, so he hadn't been able to get a good look at her before. She was alive, which was the most important thing, but was she alright? That wasn't the only reason he wanted sought her out. Checking in on her health included both the physical and mental. Sure he wasn't the most perceptive guy at times, but the bodily changes due to a spirit fusion were obvious - and the argument surrounding killing their enemies had effected her, that much he could tell. And, maybe, there was yet another reason tucked into the back of his mind. Once it was clear that the other groups of Seekers had a much rougher go of things than he and the street fighters had, he'd been kicking himself for ditching the Adrian. He probably could have been of much more help back there than where he'd ended up. If he was looking for some justification for his decision, well, he probably didn't even know it himself.

But of Ms. Fortune's well-being he was genuinely concerned, so once he'd found her he joined the Feral at the railing, leaning his elbows onto it only about a foot away from where she sat.

"Fin-ally found you," he started with, looking her way. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh!"

At the familiar, most welcome voice, Nadia turned to treat Ace to a friendly smile. She maneuvered around so that her body was facing toward the Tinkerslug's prow rather than the see. "Yeah, I'm just a-boat good. How 'bout you? It's good to see you in one piece! As for me, it looks like I ended up with a two piece." Leaning sideways on the railing with one shoulder up, she posed in a way that showed off the outfit she'd gained from her fusion with Massachusetts. The swimsuit beneath the hoodie and spats her jumpsuit turned into would serve her a lot better than what she had before if she got soaked again, but that wasn't all it was good for. "Whatcha think? 'Knot' too shabby, eh?" With the feral's attitude so lighthearted, it'd be down to Ace's own powers of observation to determine if anything was amiss with the Miss.

At first the Cadet took her at face value. She was a pretty good actor, and he wanted to believe that she was completely okay anyway. Emboldened by her playfulness the Cadet grinned at her, and unabashedly he took in her latest look. He noted all of the changes; the giant ponytail (which funnily enough reminded him of another Nadia he knew), her eyes, the new tattoo-like markings that crossed through the faded swirl patterns, and if he wasn't mistaken a more shapely figure. Overall, pretty sexy.

"Ms. Fortune, you look pawsitively clawdacious," he said warmly.

His eyes roamed from the bikini top, tracing the new geometric lines on her skin down to the scar that ran across her stomach. They lingered on there, and his brows gradually furrowed while his smile dimmed. That hadn't always been there, had it? He thought back to all the times he'd seen her bare abdomen over the last couple of days, which had been plenty of times. He didn't remember there being a scar there, nor did he remember her ever splitting herself up in the midsection.

He reached out and brushed his hand over the new scar, his expression growing more serious.

"What happened?" he asked, looking back up at Nadia's face.

"Aww, you're too kind~" For a few moments Nadia felt very pleased with all the attention, and validated to boot. But like all good things, her moment of admiration in the spotlight came to an end. Ah. Nadia realized she'd kind of walked into that one. Well, no beating around the bush, I guess. With a sigh she stopped posing, and slouched down, a confident grin turned into a thin, resigned smile. "We were up against a couple of super tough customers. One shipgirl in particular. Parrot said her name was Massachusetts, but I swear I heard someone call her Mamie? Either way, she was...one hull of a fighter, puttin' it lightly. When she wasn't poundin' away with her cannons, she was swingin' around her anchors like chain axes."

She pulled out one of the anchors she inherited from the drum on the back of her waist to show Ace. "Bigger than these, though. After fightin' a while, I was gettin' tired, so I tried to...well, 'assassinate' sounds bad, but I can't really think of anythin' else. Just end it fast, I guess. The other shipgirl saved her from death's door, but Blazermate wasted her, I think. All that made Big Mamie got purr-etty damn mad. I'd say she wanted a piece of me, but it looks like she wanted two."

The feral ran her fingers along the giant new scar on her belly. It tickled, but it twinged a little, too. She gave a laugh that was more breath than humor. "Hurt like hell, of course, but I'm fine. Can't die, remember? Goin' to pieces is literally what I do. At this point, I don't feel stuff as bad as anyone else. Blazermate patched me up, so in the end, it's just another scar. Better me than anyone else, right?" Shrugging, Nadia leaned back again.

Technically her logic was sound. An injury like that would be lethal to anyone else. It didn't sit right with him regardless. Throughout her story the Cadet's expression tightened. Imagining her being forcibly torn apart, in contrast to how she usually separated herself, was not a pleasant picture.

"Nadia..."

Ace Cadet ran a hand over his face, buying time for himself as he thought about what he wanted to say. The first words that came to mind almost sounded like an admonishment, which was not what anyone wanted to hear after something like that. An apology seemed wrong too, even though a loud part of his brain was thinking I should have been there. He decided to just go with his gut.

"Still... I mean, you shouldn't have to go through that even if you are kinda immortal. Just 'cause you won't die from it doesn't make it more okay, y'know?"

He wrapped his hands around the ship's railing, clenching and unclenching his fingers as he tried to get his feelings across.

"Earlier, when that argument was going on, you looked upset. Was it about this? 'Cause it really didn't seem like you had a choice."

Nadia half-expected Ace to launch into a lecture about how she should be more careful, but when it came his response was a lot more composed. She appreciated him taking the time to try to look at things from her perspective. Amongst other things, it meant that when he did say something it wasn't something she could refute. "Yeah, I get it," she sighed, her tone making it clear that she wasn't just blowing off his concern. "It's not like I want to or anythin'. Guess I'm just a li'l desensitized."

When the monster hunter continued, Nadia took a moment to think about his question. She couldn't say with absolute certainty what he meant by 'this'. Was he referring to her injury? Or did he mean her decision to take out Massachusetts? Probably the latter, she decided. "That's what I told myself," the feral replied, resting her chin in her palm as she slouched. "That sorta thing's easy to say. Probably 'cause it's true. But is it the whole truth?" Straightening up and leaning back, she turned her gaze to the distance. "When it comes to fightin', I've got a lot goin' for me, but there's one thing missin'. If I don't have a weak point to slice, my damage is purr-etty low. Barely scratched that stinkin' Orphan monster. So when I looked at Massachusetts, I thought...she looks strong. And pretty. And I was tired of fallin' in the water. I figured I'd found the perfect spirit. And sure enough, it fit me to a T." She glanced at Ace. "But it's wrong thinkin' of people that way. Ain't it? I mean, even if we need power to do this, and we don't wanna become freaks, they're still people. Killin' 'em for reasons like that ain't somethin' a hero should do. If I wasn't thinkin' about myself, maybe I coulda found another way."

Nadia sighed again, shrugging. "I'm tellin' ya this 'cause I wanna be honest. And 'cause I don't like keepin' stuff bottled up. But also 'cause it kinda doesn't seem like that big a deal. Like, it's somethin' I'm dumb for even worryin' about. She woulda killed me, after all. We've all been usin' stuff from enemies we took out. It's not like I'm gonna stroll through town like it's a greengrocer, lookin' through the aisles for the best people to eat. I guess...if anythin', what's eatin' me is: should I care more?"

The Cadet stayed quiet while he listened to Ms. Fortune. He could see where she was coming from. It wasn't like they were facing off against objectively, cartoonishly evil people, just people in general. But when those people were always gunning for your life whether they knew it or not, it was hard not to respond in kind - even if potential 'usefulness' wasn't in play. It was a lot to think about, and the kind of thinking that he usually never made time for. Once she was finished, she posed a question that caught the Cadet off guard.

"Hm." He appeared pensive, giving it serious thought. Should she care more? Should he? Should any of the Seekers? All of them? "Damn, that's... a tough question."

He wanted to give her an actual answer though, since she'd been so open with him.

"...honesty for honesty though, I never really thought about it," he said after a while. "Don't like to either. It's a lot easier that way, and since I got de-mindfunked I've been rolling with the assumption that once we save the world everything will just go back to normal. Like, normal-normal. And everyone that died here will just come back like none of it even happened.

"'Cause the whole spirit thing is weird to begin with, almost doesn't seem real, right? That doesn't happen when people usually die." He paused briefly, as if suddenly remembering the nature of the world they were actually in. "Well maybe it does work like that somewhere. In any case..."

The Cadet shifted his posture, taking a breath before turning to fully face Nadia again. "Don't get 'tide' down in what other people think, even me. We're all on a mission to set things right, and we've gotta do what we gotta do. If that means taking someone out before they can take us out, for any reason, then... well, it's just part of that mission."

"Mhm." For a guy that admitted to not doing a whole lot of thinking, Ace offered some pretty good advice. He more or less echoed what Nadia herself thought, and this time she didn't waste any brain juice wondering about whether she thought or heard just what she wanted to. "Golden rule it is, then," she agreed. She put on a smile as she focused on the sea in front of the Tinkerslug, rather than behind it. In the distance a sliver of land could be seen, shrouded in twilight. All this self-reflection was unusual for her, and she'd be happy to put it behind her, consigned like Port O' Panic to drift away into the reaches of her rear-view mirror. One last detail that Ace brought to mind ate at her, though. Something that felt too important to ignore. "Once we save the world..." she echoed, her voice low. "If everythin' goes back, will we even remember what happened here?" Would they all snap back to reality, as if waking up from a dream? Or would they keep in mind everything and everyone they encountered during this time, who they'd never meet again? "Then again, maybe...it'd hurt less if we didn't."

Though he'd been the one to mention it, that too was something the hunter didn't want to think about too hard. In his mind, it was the only way that fixing things made sense; resetting everything back to the way it was before the light invaded. Otherwise how could anyone cope with what had happened?

"I dunno. We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. There's some things I wouldn't mind not remembering," he told her honestly. Learned horrors, both large and small. The kind of danger he would never have been able to even dream up before. Though in between were incredible experiences, and good friends too.

"Then again, there's also people I hope I never forget." He shot her a cheesy smile then, hoping to bring the mood up a least a little. His words were true though. If he were to forget any of his comrades, let alone Nadia herself, it would be way too sad. But none of them would know what would happen once they won until it happened.

Nadia smiled back. "You betcha. Guess we'll just take it one day at a time 'til then."

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